Analysis of Internet Usage and User Satisfaction in 2023

A regular annual survey was conducted on a representative sample of a thousand respondents aged 18 to 65.

ZAGREB, January 25, 2024 - At the end of 2023, a survey on habits and experiences of internet usage in the Republic of Croatia was conducted on a representative sample of a thousand respondents aged 18 to 65. The public survey was carried out by the 4 Market Research Ltd. agency for the Croatian Regulatory Agency for Network Activities (HAKOM).

The survey has shown that usage habits of electronic communication services have not significantly changed over the past three years. Surveyed users most commonly use mobile voice services, access the internet through fixed networks, and utilize IPTV services. The majority of respondents, 77 percent, have home internet access as part of a bundled service, and a significant 92 percent of users believe they have all the necessary services, which is three percent higher than in the previous two years. The most frequently used electronic communication services are mobile voice services (98 percent), internet access services (82 percent), and fixed network voice services (56 percent).

Referring to the household internet usage, the majority of users, even 91 percent of them, use the home WiFi network, while 55 percent connect via mobile networks. The dominant devices for connecting to the internet are smartphones (95 percent) and laptops (84 percent), while desktop computers are used by only 44 percent of respondents. Users, 88 percent of them, most commonly use the internet for reading emails, 85 percent for social media monitoring, and 83 percent for making voice and video calls over the internet. More than 50 percent of respondents stated that they would like to use the internet for remote work in the future, and 38 percent of them also for education.

When choosing a service provider, internet speed (78 percent) and low package prices (74 percent) continue to be the most important factors for users. A significant 62 percent of respondents have switched service providers once or multiple times, with 54 percent citing lower prices from competitors as the most common reason for the change. An increase in price between 10 to 20 percent would influence a change in service provider, while 37 percent of users are uncertain about switching providers with a price increase of up to 10 percent.

Almost one-third of users, 29 percent, have never checked their internet speed, and 36 percent of respondents with internet speeds less than 100 Mbit/s state that they either don't need higher speeds or aren't willing to pay more for faster internet (32 percent). Over 50 percent of users reported receiving information from their service providers about the maximum and typical internet speeds, while 46 percent were informed about the minimum internet speed. The research showed that one-fifth of users have used HAKOMeter and HAKOMeter Plus, while 57 percent of respondents are not aware of these applications. The most common difficulties users faced in 2023 were slow internet speed and issues with WiFi networks and equipment. Nevertheless, a relatively high level of satisfaction with services was recorded. Most internet users have experience contacting customer support, with 55 percent having contacted the service multiple times. In general, users were satisfied, with a higher level of satisfaction regarding the quality of responses rather than the speed of customer service response.
 
Almost all internet users take some measures to maintain security online. The most common practices include avoiding downloading applications from unknown sources, using secure passwords, protecting personal information, and refraining from interacting with unfamiliar individuals. Nevertheless, 17 percent of them reported experiencing a cyber-attack or cyberbullying, marking an increase of three percent compared to the previous year.

The survey results are available at the following link.